Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nong Khai and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nong Khai: $918 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Nong Khai
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Nong Khai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Nong Khai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$918

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nong Khai and in Koh Phangan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nong Khai and in Koh Phangan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Nong Khai versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan.

Nong Khai $918
Koh Phangan $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,472 in Nong Khai versus $1,693 in Koh Phangan.

Nong Khai $1,472
Koh Phangan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Nong Khai versus $2,361 in Koh Phangan.

Nong Khai $2,026
Koh Phangan $2,361

Living in Nong Khai costs roughly 10% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nong Khai 32% lower, Koh Phangan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿101

$3.97 ฿133

-23.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.24 ฿810

$29.08 ฿972

-16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.94 ฿265

$7.90 ฿264

0.51%

Cappuccino

$1.94 ฿64.9

$2.53 ฿84.5

-23.32%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ฿21.61

$0.87 ฿28.98

-25.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.34

$0.42 ฿13.98

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 ฿64.1

$2.21 ฿73.9

-13.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ฿108

$3.45 ฿115

-6.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ฿60.4

$1.58 ฿52.9

14.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.15

$1.39 ฿46.52

1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.88

$1.50 ฿50.0

-6.67%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿66.0

$2.05 ฿68.5

-3.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 ฿582

$18.33 ฿613

-5.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ฿89.0

$3.31 ฿111

-19.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿365

$10.35 ฿346

5.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.81 ฿93.9

-3.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ฿33.06

$1.66 ฿55.3

-40.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.11 ฿70.4

5.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$2.05 ฿68.5

-10.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.46 ฿48.81

4.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.91

$1.32 ฿44.04

-9.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.70

$1.06 ฿35.46

6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.31

$0.52 ฿17.45

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ฿149

$4.20 ฿140

6.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 ฿600

$17.36 ฿580

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.76 ฿58.7

-2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 ฿83.5

$2.67 ฿89.4

-6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.57

$2.06 ฿68.9

-57.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 ฿37.19

$2.64 ฿88.3

-57.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿33.56

$0.92 ฿30.81

8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 ฿225

$3.47 ฿116

94.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ฿46.27

$1.32 ฿44.17

4.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.6K ฿756.9K

$23.8K ฿796.2K

-4.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.9K ฿932.6K

$24.5K ฿818.5K

13.94%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$78.5 ฿2,624

$98.4 ฿3,287

-20.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.94 ฿332

$11.11 ฿371

-10.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.60 ฿655

$16.91 ฿565

15.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.18 ฿1,577

$52.8 ฿1,764

-10.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ฿484

$10.82 ฿362

33.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 ฿236

$7.69 ฿257

-8.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$515 ฿17.2K

$560 ฿18.7K

-8.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,737 ฿325.4K

$11.7K ฿391.0K

-16.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ฿1,711

$63.7 ฿2,129

-19.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.43 ฿917

$28.59 ฿955

-4.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.1 ฿2,175

$95.9 ฿3,205

-32.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 ฿2,744

$86.9 ฿2,905

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ฿12.9K

$509 ฿17.0K

-24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ฿9,932

$326 ฿10.9K

-8.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ฿38.7K

$1,464 ฿48.9K

-20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 ฿22.4K

$833 ฿27.8K

-19.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,170 ฿72.5K

$2,509 ฿83.9K

-13.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 ฿51.4K

$1,781 ฿59.5K

-13.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$452 ฿15.1K

$713 ฿23.8K

-36.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nong Khai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nong Khai

$297 32.4%

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8% 9.8% $29

Groceries & Markets

Nong Khai

$248 27.1%

Koh Phangan

$256 25% 2.9% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nong Khai

$108 11.8%

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3% 17% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nong Khai

$102 11.1%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1% 21.8% $22

Eating Out

Nong Khai

$91 10%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6% 19.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nong Khai

$61 6.7%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 11.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Nong Khai

$9.7 * 1.1%

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5% 60.3% $5.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Nong Khai and $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 58% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Nong Khai vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $256 per month, with Nong Khai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nong Khai

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

Same time as Nong Khai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nong Khai Koh Phangan 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nong Khai
Koh Phangan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nong Khai vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nong Khai and Koh Phangan differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $1,024 including rent). Nong Khai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Koh Phangan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Nong Khai versus $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Nong Khai versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Nong Khai versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nong Khai but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Nong Khai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nong Khai and Koh Phangan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nong Khai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.